The Blue Jackets’ playoff push has GM Don Waddell rethinking the NHL Trade Deadline (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)
The Columbus Blue Jackets are making many people believe this season. Columbus continues to win hockey games and come together as a team after the tragedy surrounding Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau.
Expectations were not high for Columbus entering the season, but the Blue Jackets find themselves in a battle in the Eastern Conference wild card race with the Detroit Red Wings, whom they played in the 2025 Stadium Series.
Given the circumstances, it was a crucial game and stretch for the Blue Jackets, with two massive points on the line. Colubmus has positioned itself no longer as sellers but buyers at the NHL Trade Deadline on March 7th. That is a credit to players coming together as a team and playing the right way.
“We're making it hard on our GM to be a seller,” Fantilli said exclusively to RG.
Columbus sits just four points back of the New Jersey Devils for third in the Metro Division as they maintain a hold on one of the wildcard positions in the East. That is a credit to head coach Dean Evason and the players believing in each other. However, as sources told RG, the GM Don Waddell has to look at the deadline a lot differently now.
“The team has done a tremendous job putting themselves in this position and making his job a little tougher,” a source said. “He thought he would be a seller completely by the deadline, but now management is looking at things a little differently.”
We have seen that the Blue Jackets general manager is not afraid to make moves. He will move him if a player does not want to be in Columbus. As RG reported, David Jiricek wanted out of Columbus, but he eventually got dealt to the Minnesota Wild.
However, Waddell, like all GMs in the league, are balancing a fine line between making the playoffs and waving the white flag. As RG reported, the sellers that many contending teams thought would be there are not, with Columbus looking more like buyers every passing day.
Waddell knows he has to be smart about managing his assets, as the Blue Jackets are a team on the rise. He does not want to give away a first-round pick or a player who will be part of this core moving forward. But if there is an opportunity to add a player who can help the core long-term, he is open to it.
“His job is to get them into the playoffs, like every GM's job is, but he has to balance and carefully manage his assets moving forward. He is still evaluating what he has in the system. Why would he trade a first round pick for a rental?,” the source told RG.
Looking To Bolster Scoring
While goal scoring has not been a problem for the Blue Jackets this season, Columbus is expected to look to add up front.
"They certainly want to add as they have got injuries up front," the source added to RG. "They are a little short handed up front, so that's the position that management is really looking at."
It makes sense with the injury to Cole Sillinger, the Blue Jackets want to replace his productivity. This is a change of tune from earlier in the season when Waddel told RG he was not going to make moves based on injury. However, his situation has changed with the team in the playoff mix.
As we have seen, it never hurts to have too much depth, especially come playoff time. It helps to have depth on offense and defense. But the question is who the Blue Jackets will target.
The Blue Jackets are looking to bolster their scoring depth and are actively in talks to make some additions. According to a well-placed source, the Blue Jackets were also in talks to acquire veteran winger Gustav Nyquist, before he was ultimately traded to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.
With Columbus in a playoff position as the deadline approaches, there is a belief that they will make or move to help them make the playoffs.
There are quite a few depth forwards still available on the trade front and the Blue Jackets appear to have reached a decision to be buyers heading into the deadline.
Jim Biringer
